Friday, April 29, 2016

FFB Review: "Shaken: Stories for Japan" Editor Timothy Hallinan

Back in July 2011 I wrote the below
review after reading and enjoying the anthology Shaken: Stories for Japan. In
the wake of the recent earthquakes that once again have rocked the island
nation it seemed a good idea to mention this book as part of Friday’s Forgotten
Books hosted by Patti Abbott.

As noted on the cover, this book is
“A Collection of Original Fiction for Japan America Society of Southern
California's 2011 Japan Relief Fund.” The authors involved have banded
together to create this e-book with all monies raised from sales given to the
Japan Relief Fund to aid earthquake relief efforts. The need remains great
in Japan and the aim of this book is to help in some small way while also
providing reading pleasure. The book seems to be meeting both goals quite well
based on the buzz it has generated.

After a brief message from Douglas
G. Erber, President, Japan American Society of Southern California followed by
a brief introduction to the book by Editor Timothy Hallinan it is on to the
stories. While some are mystery stories and others are fiction, they are all
stories of depth featuring complicated characters dealing with heavy burdens.
These are not the shallow characters of the latest maga Hollywood style
adventure. There are not any lightweight fluff stories in this book either.
It becomes quickly evident to the most casual reader that this is a book
of fiction with serious depth and meaning.

The book opens with “Matsushima Bay”
written by Adrian McKinty. The author briefly chronicles a previous trip
into the area, near the epicenter of the recent tragic earthquake and what the
region means spiritually to so many. While it is a work of fiction, it
reads as nonfiction in the style of a personal and heartfelt narrative.

Naomi Hirahara comes next with
“Chirigami” where a resident, Kenbo, of an apartment with very thin walls
located somewhere just outside of Tokyo has a new neighbor. All he knows
is that she is a woman and foreigner but she is not British or American.
Times have changed. Not only does Kenbo have an unattached female
neighbor, something unheard of before, but the business he works in is slowly
failing. Thanks to his unknown neighbor, Kenbo’s relationship with others
begins to change.

“Gift of the Sea” by Vicki Doudera
tells the tale of a daughter of a woman who was destined to die at sea.
The sea was her end but it was also her mother’s beginning in this touching
story.

Japan isn’t the only place to suffer
major earthquakes that have been devastating. San Francisco has seen its share
and serves as setting for “Coolie” by Kelli Stanley. The earthquake has struck,
the heart of San Francisco is on fire and Alfred and his rescuer must navigate
through the chaos to Golden Gate Park. Alfred is blinded so he must rely
on his rescuer to navigate as well as tell him of the dead horses, the rubble
marking collapsed buildings and homes and everything else in this hell on earth
this April 18, 1906.

Editor Timothy Hallinan makes his
appearance with the powerful story “The Silken Claw.” It is September
1926 on a movie set where production of a Dr. Zo movie is underway. Shooting of
a pivotal scene is underway but the real drama is amongst the cast and crew.

Tom Hickey is 36 and a borderline
diabetic in “The Enemy” by Ken Kuhlken. He owns a supper club and hates
what he is doing and the madness of the world. That includes the shocking
shooting death of his bartender who was robbed on the way to the bank. Since
Tom Hickey also works as a private investigator he intends to find the shooter
one way or another.

It has been four long years and
finally Eunice Toyama is back home in San Pedro. Internment has changed her
home town as well as Eunice. It is 1946, she is 19, and very ready to do
business and take care of debts that are due in “The Emperor’s Truck” by Wendy
Hornsby.

Unlike many of the stories in this
anthology that are set in the past, Cora Black chose present day Tokyo for her
setting with “Mosquito Incense.” Despite the initial modern day setting,
the past is the key point of the story where Tokyo in August means heat,
humidity and regret in large amounts in this tale rich with visual details and
depth of feeling.

“Dead Time” by Dale Furutani
powerfully tells the tale of a man in prison waiting to be executed.
Between 8 and 8:30 every day the warden comes to collect the prisoners to be
executed that day. In Japan the day of the execution is not known to the
condemned or the family so each day begins with the mounting terror of not
knowing if this is the day you die. Being forced to contemplate death
each day gives one time to think.

Reality is harsh for Miki in “Miki’s
19th Birthday” by Stefan Hammond. Her daily reality is living
in a cardboard nest in a tunnel with several other refugees. She has semi
bonded with two other teen girls in the wake of the earthquake/tsunami.
It’s time to find another empty house and get clean--what they call a “shower
Invasion”-- as well as take whatever the trio wants. The problem is the
place they picked isn’t empty.

Brett Battles turns in “The
Assignment” a tale where Orlando is supposed to pick up a married Japanese
national at the airport in ‘Los Angeles. It is supposed to be a
simple pick up, escort Mrs. Tomita to a certain location, and drop her off
job. But, Mrs. Tomita is not everything she appears to be and has her own
agenda.

Faith Hasegawa and the narrator were
best friends from Junior High until Faith died at 40 from cancer. In
“Faith’s Secret” by Dianne Emley, the past is the theme in a tale that will
strike a chord in many readers that grew up in the seventies. Set in Los
Angeles this tale about teen issues works no matter where you grew up.

Working customer service from a
cubicle is no fun and it certainly isn’t in “Father Knows Best” by Hank
Phillipi Ryan. A difficult boss has to be dealt with and the options are
few.

Blending in the local society is a
frequent theme of the stories in this book regardless of where they are set.
This is certainly true in “Borrowed Scenery” by Rosemary Harris. A
fixture in the neighborhood block, Goria Madison always knew what was going
on. At least, she thought she did. The quiet neighbor next door is a
surprise.

With a name like Cynthia Goldberg,
people didn’t expect her to look the way she did. Thanks to her American
Jew father and her Japanese mother, her heritage is mixed and striking as she
walks near the tidal basin in March 1994. It is almost time for the
annual “Cherry Blossoms” in Washington D.C. The setting is more than
symbolic in this powerful tale by Debby Mack where the painful legacy of atomic
warfare lives on.

Jerri Westerson pens a tale of
forced marriage and much more in “The Noodle Girl.” Haruka has just
turned 13 and has been told she is to marry Masaru-Sama. She
unfortunately came to his attention because of her mom and their noodle/tea
cart. If the food had been bad, she could have been safe from him.
Mom is thrilled with her prospects but Haruka is not.

It has been twenty years since he
was back to his village. Now the man has an 11 year old daughter. Both
the man and his daughter are abducted in the chilling story “The Missing” by
Jeffrey Siger. Captured by North Korean soldiers they must do what they
have to do to survive while keeping secret exactly who they are.

“Enforcer No. 3” has been given his
assignment in this hard hitting tale by Gary Phillips. Tokyo may be
having power problems, the city of Sendai may be heavily damaged, but the
Yakuza carry on with normal business. He has work to do with blade and
grenade.

Rebecca has her hands full with
three kids in “Dusty” by C. J. West. But instead of all three to see the
temple at Kamakura, Jessica plans instead to go to a friend’s home high in a
local apartment building. By doing so, she leaves her younger sister Lisa and
baby brother Stephen with Mom for the trip. Within minutes of her leaving
their car and joining up with her friend, the ground starts shaking and
seemingly won’t stop threatening everything and everyone.

Watanabe Wataru was born into the
right family at the right time. It may be the 11th century in
“The Kamo Horse” by IJ Parker, but nobleman Wataru is doing very well. If
he can win the great Kamo race, he can claim the prize of the Emperor’s new
horse. The emperor has selected him to train and ride the horse in the
great race but others think the horse is unlucky and dangerous. Wataru‘s
future in the court hangs in the balance but not because of the obvious in this
complex mystery tale that finishes the book.

At the very end of this enjoyable
book, there is a small explanation about the Japan American Society of Southern
California and their work. Throughout the book after each story and
author bio, there are scattered haiku from the book titled Basho: the Complete
Haiku translated by Jane Reichhold and published in 2008. Along with a brief
note about the passages cited, there is a brief note about the illustrative
work created by cover artist Gar Anthony Haywood.

The result is a complex and
imaginative work that spans the wide gulf between American and Japan while
telling tales that will resonate with many people. These are not fluff pieces
dashed off to meet a word count or loosely address a theme. These characters
are complex and deep and allow a glimpse into their lives for a few pages.
This is a book of soul and complexity of depth that just happens to
support a good cause.

Kevin's Corner

Sandi's Cancer Fight Is Over

Thank you for your prayers, thoughts, and support for the past six years plus as Sandi did everything she could to be here with all of us. She is now free and not hurting anymore. I am still trying to pay off her past treatments at Medical City Dallas Hospital as well as at Texas Oncology. While the hospital can't handle direct donations, if you can help and would prefer to donate directly, please contact Debra, the financial counselor at TEXAS ONCOLOGY in SUITE 220 of Building D at Medical City Dallas Hospital in Dallas, Texas. We thank you for your prayers, thoughts, and support for the past six years plus as Sandi did everything she could to be here with all of us.